Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1887-04-22
March %, SS7.
CRUELTY SLAIN.
A WOMAN AND A STRANGER,
Aged about p years.


WOMAN AND A STRANGER,
Aged about p years.
Impressive funeral servi ces began at
2:30 O'Clock, when the church was throng-
ed with citizens, including Mayor DAILY
and other representatives of the Municipal
Government. A low funeral drge was
played by Organist Frederick Dunham
and six reporters from this city who have
been working Oh the case for two weeks,
carried the casket from the vestibule to
the bier in front of the platform. They
were preceded down the central aisle by
the Rev. w. A. Gay, pastor of the church ;
the Rev. Wi liam Robinson, of the Bap-
fist church the Rev. j. GOWNS, of the
First Metht dist Episcopal church; the
Rev. William II. Ruth, of the Second
Methodist Episcopal church, and the Rev.
Theodore Albrecht of the German Pres
byterian church. Two stanzas of the
hymn, Jesus, lover of my SOUL" were
sung by the congregation, led by Pre-
centor George Legget in the organ loft.
The Rev. Mr. Ruth read the tenth Psalm
and the Rev Mr.. GOWNS offered prayer
in which hi Isked Gods help to identity
the girl anG solve the black mystery sur
rounding her death.
Pastor Gay then made an address, tax
ing for his text whatsoever we would
that men should do 20 you, do We even so
to them" We meet to-day" he said
under the shadow OF great mystery. In
a suburb of this city an unknown woman
has been murdered by an unknown assas-
sin: Silently the victim of this foul deed
walked our thoroughfares In secret the
brutal monster planned the atrociOuS
crime. Unseen by human eye, he struck
the Dlows which hurried an immortal
soul into another world. Unnoticed, the
coward COW n,i iled with blood upon his hands,
ana Dlood upon his person, and blood up
on his heart A few hours passed away.
and the startling news was borne from
up 10 lip: "A woman has been murdered
Followlng TINS abrupt statement of fact
came the anxious inquiry who is she p
But the question rempins unanswered,
and the poor bruised and mutilated body
lies in our presence.
IF truth you seek above the vault,
rite this IN prose or rhyme,
Her helplessn.ss her greatest fault,
iier wohiahhoou her crime.
Such horror over an lnhuman act;
such widespread and continuous sym
Pdthy Ior au unfortunate creature or cir
cun1s'ances, ana such a deep sense OF
outraged Justlce nave never before agltated
tHe minus OF our people. Our perception
u lnls great wrong; OF thls almost unpar-
alleleu pruIallty, OF the gross insult to
Womanhood, Is something which belongs
to consciousness. 1t is like blow which
rankles IN the breast rather than upon the
Gneek: hau IL peeh man VINO fell that
ureadIul hight, even Then every emotion
VI our SOUS would nave Deen aroused,
put, instead, IL was woman, evidently
poor, homeless stranger, and our feelings
Struggle IN VAIN Tor an adequate express
sion.
IN bringing before you the Golden
RUE make no application OF Its precepts
10 the nend VINO bears the mark of the
murderer upon ms brow. leave him to
lace the law whlch he has violated, the
whose curse rests upon his crimson soul.
we turn from uhe butcher 10 the butcher
co. ana our contempt ana loathlng are
turned 10 lneHaole pity, Unknown, save
Dy the absent irlenas VINO call her name
IN vain, she lies before us In the quiet
steep Vi uedln: She urilteu INTO TINS COM
muplty; she died here, and she. shall rest
unuer Tue projecting wings OF Christian
sympathy.
IN the nrst place we are here this
HouI 10 practice the instructions OF the
doluen huie, because the victim of mans
Wlcheqness was woman. she was help
less. ferhaps she was a stranger in a
strange lana Undoubtedly she was a
weary wahderer tar from home: And
our hearts melt win PITY as we think of
ner lonely Journey, OF the fearful night
struggle, or her maidenly terror, of her
i nprrioie ueath; II Jesus were on this
platform at this time am sure that he
would say, w hatsoever ye would that
men should do to you dc, we even 80 to
them 'lnasmuch as We have done it unto
the least OF these, my children .ye have
done II unto Me-
Again we have met in this sacred house
ana we give his lacerated body Chris
tan burial because We live under the
shadow OF the cross. We cannot forget
the example ana me teachings of our
mother. The Golden Rule projects itself
into the theory and the practice of the
present. AS soon as it was known that
this person was to find sepulchre in Rah,
way hundreds OF hearts revolted at the
dea OF giving her other than suitable
burial. Lots were offered unsolicited.
The necessary funds were easily procured
any church in the city would undoubted
~ have been thrown open, for the spirit
OF Christ is abroad in the land. We could
not help her when she was alive, and so
we give expression to our sympathy now